News article
Wells network form part of Schalke sustainability plan
German Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04 has introduced a number of initiatives as part of its ‘Sustainability Strategy for a Climate Neutral Schalke’ plan.
One of those initiatives include wells located at the club’s Veltins-Arena, meaning office workers, teams and spectators will be supplied with water from the grounds.
Schalke has also launched the ‘Zukunftsschmiede 04’, which is a network that consists of 11 parties including medium-sized companies and businesses listed on the German Stock Exchange. The network also features the RAG Foundation, which is a group of digital experts and municipal businesses from the region to offer ideas on how to make the club more sustainable.
Bernd Schröder, Chief Executive of Schalke told DW: “Above all, we want to assume social responsibility in our region. We see that as our duty.”
“Above all, we want to assume social responsibility in our region. We see that as our duty.”
Other areas that Schalke hopes to tackle include spectator matchday travel, charging stations for e-bikes, solar panels and reducing the level of waste generated by games.
Bundesliga clubs are now obligated to include sustainability within their operating plans, as the German Football League Association (DFL) has committed to gradually incorporating a sustainability guideline into the licensing regulations for the 36 clubs across Germany’ top two divisions. From the 2023-24 season, these regulations take ecological, economic and social aspects into account, and clubs that fail to comply will no longer be able to obtain an operating licence.
Clubs will also be required to provide evidence of an environmental and sustainability strategy.
Stefan Ludwig, Head of Sports Business group at Deloitte, the auditing and consulting firm, told DW: “The clubs have long been interested in the topic of sustainability. Sometimes regulatory pressure is needed to implement something.
“It’s clear to many clubs that it’s not just an obligation, but also an opportunity to cut costs, or to make themselves attractive to sponsors who have previously stayed away from professional sports.”
Image: DerHans04/ CC BY-SA 3.0 DE/ Edited for size